!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->

Turkey ‘Paves The Way’ for Sweden, Finland to Join NATO in Setback for Russia

Turkey appeared satisfied with the deal, as a statement from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s office on Tuesday said, “Turkey got what it wanted.”

June 29, 2022

Author

Statecraft Staff
Turkey ‘Paves The Way’ for Sweden, Finland to Join NATO in Setback for Russia 
(L-R) Pekka Haavisto, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Turkish President Erdoğan, Finnish President Niinistö, Swedish PM Andersson, Ann Linde.
IMAGE SOURCE: REPUBLIC OF TURKEY

On the eve of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid, Spain, Turkey agreed to “pave the way” for Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance after signing a trilateral memorandum that addressed Ankara’s “legitimate security concerns,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg declared on Tuesday.

In a statement, Stoltenberg welcomed the “constructive approach” of the three countries during the negotiations. “Finnish and Swedish membership of NATO is good for Finland and Sweden, it is good for NATO, and it is good for European security,” he stressed.

The agreement was signed by foreign ministers of the three countries—Turkey’s Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Finland’s Pekka Haavisto, and Sweden’s Ann Linde— in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, and Swedish Prime Minister (PM) Magdalena Andersson. However, the details of the conditions agreed upon remain unclear.

“Our joint memorandum underscores the commitment of Finland, Sweden and Türkiye to extend their full support against threats to each other’s security,” President Niinistö remarked in a statement, adding that the decision to become a NATO ally “is now imminent.”

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Sweden and Finland, which were historically non-aligned nations, applied for NATO membership on May 18. However, Turkey raised objections regarding their applications, accusing the Nordic nations of giving refuges to former fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its Syrian affiliate, the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), both of which Ankara considers to be terrorist organisations and a national security threat. This proved to be a major hurdle in the two nations’ accession to NATO, as applicants require unanimous approval of all 30 members of the alliance.

Earlier this month, intensive discussions took place between all the three nations in Brussels. “Clear progress has been made on some issues, while others still have some way to go towards an agreement,” Finnish Director of Foreign and Security Policy Petri Hakkarainen revealed in a press release.

In fact, before the deal took place, Erdoğan had asserted on Monday, “If they are to become a member of NATO, they have to respect Turkey's security concerns. We do not want dry words, we want results.”

In this regard, the Nordic countries confirmed that the PKK was a banned group and that they would also “not provide support” to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and YPG. Furthermore, Turkey demanded that Sweden and Finland should take “concrete steps on the extradition of terrorist criminals” related to the PKK or YPG from Sweden. Sweden is home to 100,000 Kurdish refugees.

In 2017, Turkey requested the extradition of Kurdish fighters and other militants; however, it is yet to receive a reply from Sweden. Similarly, Finland has received nine extradition requests from Turkey; it has rejected six of Ankara’s requests and approved two.

In a speech after meeting with Stoltenberg on Monday, Swedish PM Andersson revealed that a substantial number of cases are being “handled swiftly and carefully by our legal system in accordance with European Convention on Extradition.” “Sweden is not and will not be a safe haven for terrorism. The relevant authorities work intensively in order to expel persons who could be a security threat,” she asserted.

Andersson also announced that Stockholm’s terrorism laws are undergoing “its biggest overhaul in 30 years” and a tougher Terrorist Offences Act will come into force from July 1. Moreover, constitutional amendments are being prepared that criminalise participating in terrorist organisations. “There should be no doubt that Sweden will continue to stand firm alongside other like-minded countries in the fight against terrorism,” she stated.

Likewise, in Tuesday’s press release Niinistö noted, “As a NATO member, Finland will commit fully to the counterterrorism documents and policies of NATO.”

Additionally, the two countries also agreed to remove “embargo restrictions in the field of defence industry” on Ankara, which were enforced after Turkey’s military incursion into northeastern Syria in 2019.  

Turkey appeared satisfied with the deal, as a statement from Erdoğan’s office on Tuesday said, “Turkey has made significant gains in the fight against terrorist organisations,” adding, “Turkey got what it wanted.”

If the Nordic countries become NATO members, it would end Sweden’s 200 years of military neutrality, while Finland adopted a neutral stance following its defeat against the Soviet Union during World War Two. Both states already meet many of the NATO criteria for membership, including a functional democratic political system, being economically transparent, and providing military support to NATO missions.

Andersson told reporters that taking the next step toward a full NATO membership is “of course important” for both nations. “But it’s also a very important step for NATO, because our countries will be security providers within NATO,” she said, adding that it was a “very good agreement” and thereby rebuffed claims that she had conceded too much to Erdoğan to secure Turkey’s support.

Stoltenberg also appeared “confident” that the two countries’ accession would be possible.

Turkey’s acceptance of Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership bids appears to be a huge setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had blamed NATO’s eastward expansion and Ukraine’s desire to enter the military alliance that threatens its security as the reason for the ongoing military invasion of its neighbour.

He had also warned the Nordic nations of severe “political and military consequences” if they applied for NATO membership and threatened to deploy nuclear weapons to the Baltics. It has also moved its military equipment, including coastal defence systems, to its border with Finland. In addition, Russian Senator Viktor Bondarev has warned that NATO membership will push Russia to station even more troops along the border.

Both countries have long maintained a neutral security policy in order to avoid antagonising Russia. However, the fear that they could be Russia’s next target after Ukraine has generated massive support for NATO membership both within their governments and among their citizens. The accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO would double the alliance’s land border with Russia and expand NATO’s presence eastward, something Russia has repeatedly objected to.

Meanwhile, United States (US) President Joe Biden welcomed the trilateral deal on Tuesday, saying, “Finland and Sweden are strong democracies with highly capable militaries. Their membership will strengthen NATO’s collective security and benefit the entire Transatlantic Alliance.”

Author

Statecraft Staff

Editorial Team

Subscribe to our newsletter

Stay updated with the latest news from around the globe